Hebei punishes hundreds of officials in crackdown

Hebei province has punished hundreds of government officials for failing to thoroughly implement environmental protection measures in a newly-launched campaign to curb pollution.

This month, Hebei began a half-year campaign to fight smog, which usually occurs in late autumn and winter.

Under the campaign, the province imposed 40 tough new measures to cut emissions from sources like burning coal, vehicle exhaust, heavy industry and construction.

To make sure the new measures are carried out thoroughly, the Hebei Environmental Protection Bureau demanded all relevant government officials must obey the rules and finish their tasks in time.

Otherwise the officials, ranging from party chiefs of counties to heads of villages, will be punished according to environmental protection laws and rules.

For example, if a county in the province was reported by major media for failing to implement pollution control measures more than five times, the county's party chief will be held accountable for dereliction of duty and punished accordingly.

From Sept 5 to Sept 28, more than 200 officials were criticized, 69 were removed from posts or suspended or demoted, and 154 were handed over to judicial departments for investigation.

"If we don't bring out the iron fists, it will be very difficult to finish the task," said Yin Song, deputy head of the atmospheric environment management department of the bureau.

According to the overall plan, from Oct 1 to March 31 the average level of PM2.5 — particulate matter that poses health hazards — and the number of days of heavy smog in the major cities of Hebei should be cut by 15 percent year-on-year.

Hebei is the province with the country's worst air quality.

Its average level of PM2.5 from January to August was 66 micrograms per cubic meter, 11.9 percent more than last year.

In an action carried out by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which released a plan in August with detailed targets, controlling measures and punishments, Hebei has also been found to have companies that haven't upgraded their environmental protection equipment or met requirements.